X-DREAMERS [mission 04: hunters for hire!]

[TehUltimateMage]

 

Quote

XTRA DIMENSIONAL TELEPORTATION TERMINAL

FIRMWARE 1.0.1.4

Finding coordinates... ok.

~

Mission ID: 0104

Participants: Qaksh, Light, Karen, Adolin, Vaccaria, Add, Hikaru, Grievous, Towa // Myrrh, Eren

World: Monster Hunter (4U, unnamed world)

Location: Ancestral Steppe

Time: Mid-morning

Current Environment: Clear Skies

Status: Hunt Start!

 

>>WELCOME<<

 

This is a companion thread to X-DREAMERS. In an effort not to flood the main topic with game posts (and to experiment with different RP forms, as per the spirit of Freeforms), this is a thread exclusively for off-world missions and other fast paced events such as battles that require a rapid exchange of posts.

 

MISSION RULES:

1. Only characters submitted to missions in X-DREAMERS in the Discord server may participate.
2. Short posts are encouraged.
3. Your character may exit the area and return to base at any time, although they will have a few turns of cooldown and might not be able to resume in the same place they left off.
4. If you are inactive over several rounds, your character will be sent back to base.

 

 

((OOC: now that we're a couple missions in, I see that the slow activity of the forums is slowly making xdre flood the forum, and I apologize for that.))

Edited February 24, 2020 by TehUltimateMage

[TehUltimateMage]

((usually I post this after I update the base topic, but I'll have this out just for people to start thinking about it.))

 

 

>> MISSION 04: START<<

 

Even indoors, Qaksh could feel the air was hot and dry. The group had appeared in a corner of the Gathering Hall, a large wooden hut bustling with activity going in all directions. Hunters in impressive hide armor prepared their equipment with their Feyline friends, waited in a less than orderly queue to check the available quests, or simply sat around with friends waiting for food, drink, or company. Flags of all colors hung from the rafters and a ship’s wheel was set right into the floorboards of the worn but sturdy redwood floor. The hall featured many nautical knickknacks decorating its walls and corners. Not surprising, considering Val Habar’s notoriety as a ‘port’ city for sandships.

 

In one corner of the gathering hall were a few clerks working behind a desk, and behind them was displayed a giant globe of the world. A red carpet flowed down the steps leading up to the desk, and at the top of these stairs was a familiar — at least to Qaksh — girl with purple pigtails and a little red dress. The dragon wings on her back were no accessory, he knew. With the amount of gear she was carrying in her backpack, though, it would have been easy to mistake the folded limbs for a unique cloak or hunting trophy.

Upon noticing the orange dragon, the girl gave a small wave. Despite her shy and closed demeanor, she had a beaming smile on her face when she wove through the gathered Hunters and approached the group in a quick shuffle.

 

Qaksh calmed his frills. He didn’t realize how flustered he felt seeing her again. The group was probably waiting for him to introduce her, huh? The orange dragon turned his neck to survey the group. It seemed like he was the most senior agent here, and that thought was terrifying. Did he really have to lead this?

 

Thankfully, the girl spoke up first. “Hello Qaksh! I have received Pascal’s transmission.” She curtsied in greeting toward the rest of the group. “I’m Myrrh. I am part of the XDRS division stationed on this world. You are all new to this group, correct? Here, we fulfill requests from the Hunter’s Guild for rewards and materials to be used on our home base, at the Gateway.”

 

“Yes,” Qaksh added, his voice projecting telepathically to everyone. “On this world, the leading activity is monster hunting. Not only does slaying certain beasts offer money and prestige, but some monster parts are very valuable in this world or on others.”

 

“The role of the Hunters is not simply to hunt monsters,” Myrrh clarified, “but also keep a tally of their numbers and assure the balance of the ecosystem. The Guild has just as many research and gathering quests as they do hunting quests, if not more.” The purple haired girl reached into her cloak and pulled out a deck of stamped index cards. “The XDRS is registered as an official hunting group and I have acquired Guild Cards for all of you. Normally, you would only be able to take on low-level quests, but under our jurisdiction, you should be able to accept higher ranking ones. See if any on the board interest you!”

 

Oh… Qaksh backed away half a step at her explanation. His explanation was mostly wrong — he should have just let her continue! He honestly wished that Myrrh would go with them on the hunt instead of choosing to hang back like she usually did. She would be a great advantage with her dragonstone, but… It felt a little silly for him to ask her come along. 

Edited September 14, 2019 by TehUltimateMage

[Marcus Pheonix]

Rain and Rimuru sat in silence in the food hall waiting to see what everyone chose to do.

Edited November 23, 2019 by Marcus Pheonix

[Pyrowings]

Light ~ Gathering Hall ~ Making amends

 

As they teleported in, Light couldn't help but gaze around at the new place they were warping into. The walls were wood, with nets, skins, banners, and all sorts of other things hanging and draping, the people were in colorful armor and holding weapons made out of the bones and scales of giant beasts, the air was slightly smokey and hot, but not cloyingly so. 

 

"Wow....." Light breathed out as she craned her neck up, taking in the sight of sunlight streaming through a matrix of glass panels before looking back down, blinking from the sunlight. Of course, she wasn't here to see the sights. She was here because she let herself get too excited and had gotten the organization into trouble, financially. Qaksh opened his frills as he gazed out at the people, and Light immediately felt another pang of guilt--I should have just focused on the fruit... Qaksh is so smart and steadfast, and then I came in and had to distract us from what we were doing...

 

Her eyes settled on the girl's strange cloak for a moment as she came up and started to explain the organizations' operation on this world. Light cocked her head, nodding along with the explanation.

 

"Well... I'll be up for anything," Light said carefully, taking a card from the purple-haired girl. "I would actually like to face some of these monsters--there's a friend I have who wants to fight as many things as he can, but I'm good with doing more passive things too. Anything that you guys would need me to do." I should actually help, after all..... And how better than to be willing to do whatever they need, right?

[Eto]

 

v.

 

Excellent.

 

Vaccaria drowns out the rest of the explanation, as, immediately after having stepped foot into this world, he feels himself come alive once more with the familiar energy in the air. He knows what this, has spent his entire life in service of the guilds, grinding monsters and waiting for the proper loot to drop.

 

As if they could explain to him something he knows intrinsically, instinctively, something he was born to do. 

 

The Witch takes the offered Guild Card from the strange, purple-haired girl, with wings on her back -- an accessory, or a farmable loot perhaps? -- all the while wondering what an ecosystem is. 

 

Probably not important, in all honesty. As soon as his attention had been directed to the missions board, Vaccaria singlehandedly focused in on the various pieces of paper, scanning them with a practised eye. So perhaps the world here is not quite the same as his home -- the relics scribbled onto the mission logs hold unfamiliar names and unfamiliar awards for their service, but Vaccaria is just desperate to do something. 

 

"I will do all of them," he says, not so much a declaration as much a personal pledge, and immediately bolts for the door. First to loot, first to win.

 

But not alone.

 

"I will require a tank and assist," he says, looking pointedly at the group of people who had accompanied him in. "You have twelve minutes to whisper in before I head out." 

Edited December 12, 2019 by Shoukaku

[Kiran]

Karen and Nidrak

Allies (?): Vaccaria, others

Location: Monster Hunter Guild Base

Current Morph: Karen

 

“Nice to meet you Myrhh, I’m Karen,” Nidrak says, taking the opportunity to take a dramatic bow in response to her curtsy. 

 

They accept a guild card, then take the time to read through the mission board. Between the two of them, they’d be able to remember the contents of the board without much difficulty. It’d be helpful if they actually knew what any of the creatures listed on the board were, but they’d be able to figure something out. Probably. 

 

Neither of them have any objections to trying to team up with Vaccaria and Adolin again, and they suppose they count as an assist. (Karen’s interested in teaming up with them because they worked well enough together and it’s better to work with someone that you already know the powers and fighting style of. Nidrak wants to team up with them “because look at them, they’re both hot”.) 

 

“I’ll party with you,” Karen says to Vaccaria, hoping that that counts as “whispering in”. It’s not like they’re playing SAO. “Do you have any debuffs or status effects, or are you pure DPS?” he asks. Vaccaria is strange, but at least the way he talks is familiar enough for Karen to slip into it. 

 

Best case scenario, he has some kind of sleep or paralysis spell. They’re on a planet filled with giant monsters, and they’re supposed to hunt them. Karen and Nidrak don’t have any intention of leaving without petting a few monsters, and they can't do that if the monster's dead (and things will be a fair bit more difficult if it's actively trying to kill them). 
 

[Mikasa361]

[E - Gathering Hall]

 

Oh my god.

 

This new world is a whiplash in scenery compared to base. Or the market. Or, hell, home. She would include Lara's world in that as well, but so far it's the closest world to her own. It's strange for her to see. 

 

Then there's the fellow agents. None of them are people she knows- and suddenly she wishes she went with Lara or Sorey. She's more than overwhelmed at this entire thing- but perhaps all of the senior agents were on their first or second mission.

 

Still, she's all sorts of nervous. 

 

Quietly, she takes the card from the winged girl and takes a look at it. The back has a golden background with a rather interesting dragon in the center. When she flips it over, she notes a logo, could that be the XDRS logo? There are a few things listed about the organization, basically nothing super new or interesting. Evonna also notices some smaller details, like some stamps and a few stars. It's such a small card, she's afraid of losing it, despite the fact that she has never lost something like a credit card in her life. 

 

Someone- the wizard? - says he'll take all the missions, and Evonna rolls her eyes in silence. Jeez, as if we couldn't be any cockier, right? Still, unlike her, he actually seems to have a friend, Karen, she remembers that name. They converse with each other, while Evonna glances around the hall. 

 

Fidgeting with her card, she notes that nobody has picked anything specific. She also notes that she forgot the names of some of the other agents. Unsure of who to float near, she puts the card in in her pocket and shakes her head. "I- um- same here." She gestures to the redhead- Light? "I'm up for just about anything as well. But monsters are good. Yeah, monsters are good." Taking the branch out of her hair, Evonna fidgets with it. She's more than uncomfortable here.

 

Edited January 5, 2020 by Mikasa361

[TehUltimateMage]

Adolin Kholin, son of Highprince Dalinar Kholin -- Gathering Hall

[ party up! ] - [ shardblade: inactive ]

 

 

The place he was transported to this time was as lively as a warcamp but was decorated like a merchant's guild. Adolin took a look around, eyes shining with wonder. Most of the people in this area were outfitted in heavy armor, though there was little to no uniformity in what they were wearing. Fitting for hunting parties who were after large game. Some of the sets were quite stylish, mimicking the motifs of different beasts. Adolin almost felt that his own painted blue shardplate was a little plain. It didn't bother him too much. 

 

Trying not to get further distracted by everything around him, he listened in on the tiny girl who led this division, then accepted his card which he tucked into his armor. He squinted at the board she pointed out which was full of unrecognizable glyphs arranged in a density that had to be inefficient. Was she expecting him to make sense of it on his own? Vaccaria took one look at it, declared them all accepted, and bolted towards the entrance. Karen did the same, but at a much more leisurely pace. Considering that the only people he really knew were the robed magic-user and that chicken-boy, Adolin followed without even checking the requests. If it weren't for so many things already not making sense already, he might have been more frightened of their abilities to make sense of the writing. 

 

Both of them were saying words to each other that Adolin could only assume were codewords of some sort. He nodded along, pretending to know what they meant. 

 

"I'm whispering in," he whispered. "I'll come along and assist."

 

 

 

Qaksh -- Gathering Hall

[maybe take some easy ones...]

 

Qaksh crouched down and addressed Light. Well, she was mostly familiar. "There are some gathering quests, but there's always monsters roaming around and some like to pick fights." The dragon took a look at the board filled with easier requests, then plucked it off the wall gently with his teeth. "How about this one? It's egg gathering up on the cliffsides. Shouldn't be too difficult if we fly." Doubly so if Myrrh came along, but she was probably too busy, right?

 

"Are you going to guide us over? Most of these new recruits don't know the landscape..." Not that Qaksh knew it too well, either. There were some even bigger dragons out there who could easily eat him in two bites. 

 

Myrrh shook her head in the negative. "I am required here, so I shall remain. However, we do have some allies on the field who will assist you."

 

Qaksh's frills withered, first at the rejection, and secondly to the fact that he almost forgot that other veteran agents existed in this area. "It's not Sans is it--"

 

The dragon's question was answered preemptively by a young man wordlessly shoving his way past through the entrance, earning a puzzled look from Adolin both because of his stormy attitude and the fact that unlike most of the hunters he wasn't wearing any armor at all. He had a metal box full of blades on either side of his hip and he appeared to be wearing a worn out brown uniform with the jacket cropped short for ease of movement. He made his way straight towards Myrrh, tossing with great force a small pouch he had in his hand at her which she caught with catlike reflexes.

 

"It got away," he hissed, blue-green eyes glaring at no one in particular. "Dammit dammit dammit!" he yelled, punctuating his words by stamping the ground. Some of the people from the gathering hall began to hurry off to their next destination, seemingly already familiar with this boy's outbursts.

 

Qaksh took a step back to get out of the way of the tantrum. Myrrh closed her eyes and smiled, waiting for him to lose steam. "That's alright, Eren! Looks like you got the sub-reward!"

 

"If I can't even hunt a Rathalos," he whispered, voice raspy, "how can I kill all titans...!"

 

Qaksh had already backed away a dozen feet. Projecting telepathically, he asked, "Don't tell me he's the one who's going to lead the expedition..."

Edited January 6, 2020 by TehUltimateMage

[Pyrowings]

Light ~ Gathering Hall ~ Eggs seem fine...

 

Light looked at the strange wizard boy, cocking her head. Someone to help him, she understood, but why on Terra was he expecting one of those big hunking Empyrean machines with cannons? Would one even fit in here? She looked around the tavern's premises, thinking about the size of the things she remembered, and shook her head. Ridiculous. The guy in armor and the guy with a dyed mohawk who followed them here agreed with him, though--actually, didn't I see them together back at the castle? Guess they're friends who have their own lingo with each other. 

Light suddenly felt a sharp stab in her chest, and looked away from the group as a shocking deluge of loss swept over her. What's wrong with me?  She shook her head, zoning back in just in time to hear the girl with the blue thing in her hair stammer something out.

 

Qaksh leaned down, looking at her and explaining: "There are some gathering quests, but there's always monsters roaming around and some like to pick fights." Light nodded as her expression took on a forlorn cast. Here too, huh? Arad was like that, I remember how much guard duty we had to play. I wonder what happened to everyone else? "Do you think they miss me?" She mumbled to herself absentmindedly.Another pang, and Light sucked in a breath, pressing her ears against her head and biting the inside of her lip. Luckily, Qaksh didn't seem to notice, and was looking at the board of requests; thankful for the potential distraction, Light walked around him, peering at the board as well. 

 

"How about this one? It's egg gathering up on the cliffsides. Shouldn't be too difficult if we fly."

 

Qaksh popped the poster off with his teeth and passed it to her. Light took it, pushing the squeezing in her chest away as she skimmed the poster. Lots of names that she didn't know. What's a Nargacuga? 

There was a place to turn in spoils to, though, and from experience, that meant much-needed money, too. At least, if this place is much like Arad.

Light skimmed more of the jobs on the board, leaving Qaksh to speak with the purple-haired girl, seeing requests to find all sorts of stuff, from footprints to poop--Or since this is a sciencey place, "feces,"--(Light smiled a bit, remembering the aghast expression on that GBL member's face), as well as requests to capture live monsters, investigate phenomenons, gather materials, and other usual fare.

 

"Dammit dammit dammit!"

 

Light jumped at the loud voice and turned around to see an angry-looking black haired boy with so many swords at his hips, he needed boxes for them. He was stomping towards them, and Light tensed, prepared to run, though he turned and started to state his dramatics to the purple-haired girl instead. Light straightened up, though her expression was still wary.... And Qaksh had backed up really, REALLY far. Who is this person? He's reminding me of Cyrus, that's never a good thing, would he kill puppies for his breakfast too?

 

"Don't tell me he's the one who's going to lead the expedition..." Qaksh's voice sounded in her head. Light nodded in perplexed agreement, slowly backing away towards Qaksh, eyes on the "Eren" person that just appeared.

 

"Do you think we can just head out?" Light asked, voice low. Just as she asked, though, a loud "oi" came from an-almost-completely-silver person with a flyer in his hand that he was waving.

 

“I got a mission. Did you need me around for anything else, or can I go do my job?" 

 

"Mission for what?" Light asked, before her brain took his words and analyzed them more... Uh, it doesn't sound like he really wants anyone to go along with him... Wait, I needed to plan more, so this is a great opportunity to try and--"I mean, it's good to know what the things in this world are, right?" 

Edited January 7, 2020 by Pyrowings

[hikarinomemori]

 

Towa Akagi, Princess of the Hope Kingdom
<Status: Stable>

<Form: Civilian>
<Location: Gathering Hall>
<People: Add, Hikaru, Light, Vaccaria, Evonna, Adolin, Karen, Qaksh, Myrrh, Eren>

 

~~

 

Towa gracefully accepted the guild card, looking over it a few times. She wasn't too keen on having to hunt monsters - after all, every creature had more than one side to a story - but if it meant keeping balance in the ecosystem, she was willing to help bring populations into more balanced terms.

 

"Oi. I got a mission. Did you need me around for anything else, or can I go do my job?"

 

Towa glanced up at hearing Add's voice. "Add, do you... Do you mind if I join you? I'm sure I'd be more pleasant company than just Hikaru alone, and besides..." She glanced over towards Vaccaria's group. "...I'm not too sure I want to be joining them. Better to be a little more spread out than to all join one single group, right?"

 

She looked down and lowered her voice so that only Add could hear. "That and Vaccaria creeps me out a little."

[Eto]

 

v.

 

Vaccaria jolts as Karen speaks; the wizard spins around just as Karen continues talking, speaking as naturally as if he had sprung from Glory not a second before. But -- how could this be? The other boy is dressed so casually, in clothing he has never seen before but certainly feels would not provide very good status alignments, considering they much resembled the wear of a NPC that would accompany you on a quest to rescue his lost love before you got tired of him following you around and asking for his love back so you slaughtered him and glitched that questline for everything. Not that that is something he has done before, certainly not.

 

(He collected the loot beforehand. Helper NPCs are awfully easy to coerce into giving you the mission rewards ahead of time.)

 

He has been fully preparing to set about these missions alone, but at this -- 

 

"Absolutely," Vaccaria gushes, taking a passionate step towards Karen; the eye mask over his right eye flashes with a brilliant blue as Vaccaria throws aside his cape, revealing varius small bottles filled with mysterious liquid. Delighted to be speaking in a tongue he recognises once more -- everyone here spoke so strangely, and he had been scolded for asking why someone was useful when heading out to battle, and telling them that they should kill themselves and respawn their stats otherwise -- that it is an absolute treasure to feel familiarity in this unknown world.

 

"DPS, status alignment, AoE ..." he murmurs, half to himself and half to Karen. "I poured my traits into ATK, so my WIS and DEF are a little low, but," Vaccaria sniffs, "who needs those anyways? WIS is the inferior INT." He pulls out a flask, showing it to Karen."This is my creation," he says, matter-of-factly, "and it sold for millions. It's basically a potion that instantly spawns you -- it doesn't technically count as a death, so you skip the respawn time of six hours. It's a great way to reroll stats until you get what you want. Would you care to try?"

 

He holds the flask out to Karen. "Alternatively, you can drop it and it'll turn into a gas -- I used to do this for mass respawn during my guild when we had recruitment events. Like this --"

 

Vaccaria makes an exaggerated motion of dropping the flask, dipping it downwards and then up. Smiling at Karen, he holds the flask out for the other man to take, just in case he wants to reroll before they go hunting. At the sound of Adolin's quiet voice, Vaccaria turns his attention to the taller man, dressed in full armour.

 

"Tank ..." he says, curious as to why Adolin is speaking so softly. Is he trying to avoid the others from joining their party? Well thought out -- Vaccaria doesn't quite like the look of the white-haired boy with enormous tails -- what a ridiculous cosmetic. It seems like it would only get in the way of battle. "We'll need one. Excellent. We're almost ready to head out," he declares, to the other two accompanying him. 

 

To his surprise, before he can make his move, a newcomer storms through the hallways, cursing loudly. How unfortunate -- and such a sad display of showmanship, Vaccaria thinks to himself, as the boy seems caught up in his own thoughts about his failures.

 

Well, nothing to it. Traits are fixed, after all, and hardly subject to change. Perhaps the only solution he has for the other boy is to grind more, but that isn't his issue.

 

"Is he quite alright," he asks in a soft tone, meant only for the two by his side. 

 

--

 

 

bright light

 

"That man is like Ain!" Hikaru says to Ain, staring in wide-eyed wonder at the man with the pointy hat's loud, brave declaration. "But so much smarter! I never remembered Ain being so ready to take on anything!" Extremely pleased, Hikaru feels his heart swell with affection at the sight of the three humans interacting. How sweet it is, the three of them together, and how delicious the blue-haired boy's exposed arms and casual stance looked. He imagines just bouncing over, transforming in the blink of a second, ripping into the meal waiting for him --

 

"Add," he winces, trailing after Add as the well-dressed man makes his way towards the exit, a slip of paper -- not food, not interesting -- in his hand. "That man is like Ain," he says. "But so much smarter! I never remembered Ain being so ready to take on anything! I'm hungry. I thought about eating the three over there, and one has some arms that look really easily pluckable, but I thought you would be really really mad so I didn't do that. But his friend looks like Ain! But so much smarter! I never remembered Ain being so ready to take on anything!"

 

Then, Hikaru is interrupted by a newcomer storming through the hallways, speaking loudly. Hikaru's tails fluff up in excitement, his ears titled to catch more of the other man's speech. Towa approaches them, asking to join, and, delighted, Hikaru springs towards the well-collected girl.

"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" he repeats, from the other man with a smile on his face. "Of course you can! Let's go eat humans together! Or kill 'titans'! Or monsters!" Eagerly looking at Add, the white-haired boy waits for more instructions. 

[Kiran]

Karen and Nidrak

Allies (?): Vaccaria, Adolin, others

Location: Monster Hunter Guild Base

Current Morph: Karen

 

“Excellent,” Karen says, smiling wide and easy. Vaccaria is beautiful, and even more so when his face alights with passion and joy. Maybe we’ll be able to acquire some new morphs without getting killed after all! “DEF is for tanks,” he says, nodding in agreement. Tanks and people that didn’t have strong regen. He’s not sure what to say about WIS - who knew what it was for in Vaccaria’s world. It could be anything from perception to increasing the size of mana pools to boosting crafting ability. It's easy to understand what Vaccaria says, but more difficult to respond without saying something wrong. 

Good, keep flirting. 

What? No-

“Nice cosmetics, by the way,” Nidrak cuts in. 

Mentally rolling his eyes, Karen takes the flask and inspects it, ignoring Nidrak gushing about how pretty Vaccaria’s eye-thing looked in the back of his head. “Huh, that’s amazing. I don’t think it would work that well on me, though,” if it would even work at all. “I get a permanent ability to transform into any living mob, NPC, or player I touch, so my physical stats get reset when I transform.” Eh, better explain that respawning didn’t actually happen to him before Vaccaria decided that friendly fire was friendly. “That, and I don’t know if it’d work. Permadeath is on in this world - most worlds, actually - so I don’t even know if the respawn mechanic would work. Try not to die.” 

Nidrak, of course, thinks the bottle looks bright and inviting, even though there’s a chance that it would kill them both. No.

It’s a gift. It’s rude to refuse gifts, xe whines. And it might be tasty, xe finishes, sullen, but relents. 

Xe moves their arm as if to put the flask in a pocket before remembering that xe doesn’t have any. Awkwardly, they hand it back to Vaccaria. “No inventory space, but thank you.” Unfortunate - maybe it would work like an instant death cloud if it was “”too dangerous to drink”” like Karen said. Probably not, considering that Vaccaria had said it didn’t technically cause death, but it was an idea. 

“Alright!” Karen says at Adolin’s approach, clapping his now-empty hands together. Adolin didn’t quite seem to get the jargon, but he was making an attempt! “Now that we’re all here, I suppose we might as well-” 

He’s interrupted by a man (or boy, rather) stomping in, shouting and making the floorboards rattle. Well. That wasn’t very polite, was it? 

“I don’t think so,” he replies, speaking just as softly as Vaccaria. “He mentioned a Rathalos, and that was on the list of monsters, but…” he trails off. He didn’t really want to go ask the screaming box cutter child about where he’d chased a monster off too, nor did he want to go near the fox-tailed man. Had he said something about “eating people”? Concerning. 

 

nidrak ate a bath bomb once

[TehUltimateMage]

Eren -- Gathering Hall

[i'm a titan] - [you're a titan] - [we're all titans]

 

"Eat people together? I don't--" Eren stammered, horrified by the fox-eared man's enthusiasm. He clenched his teeth. Grabbed his face with one hand. "Oh no, don't tell me you can turn big too."

 

Could... could these people be trusted, if they ate people like titans did? He squinted at nothing in particular. Putting into practice what Twilight taught him, he counted down from ten... It was the multiverse. Not everything that was large and man-eating was a titan. Big things weren't all bad. That person... he spoke like a kid and was just repeating things as he looked up at his friend for approval, right? Myrrh could turn big and he also accused her of being a shifter at the time, but she ended up being one of the most genuine people he had ever met.

 

(Or was she?)

 

Myrrh waved her hand within Eren's field of vision. Finally noticing it, he shook his head to clear his thoughts and pay attention to her orders. She was much gentler than any of the other people who had commanded him in the past, though sometimes he missed how strict they used to be. "I think everyone is free to go, but if anyone loses their way to the hunting grounds, could you point them in the right direction?"

 

Eren replied with a nod, then attempted a small smile. It was nice to being assigned something concrete to do. 

 

While visually checking who the new agents were, his gaze lingered on Towa a little too long. No weapons and a plain civilian dress. He didn't doubt that Sir-nine-tails and the man with robots orbiting him could defend themselves, but could she, a girl around his age, really be able to fight giant monsters?

 

What a stupid question, he huffed to himself. It was the multiverse. Every other person had magical powers.

 

~~~

 

Adolin Kholin, son of Highprince Dalinar Kholin -- Gathering Hall

[ party up! ] - [ the only thing i understood was "permadeath" ]

 

Tank, Vaccaria had said in his direction, though Adolin had already stopped paying attention. He stopped following the conversation once the amount of foreign words exchanged between the other two outnumbered the words he could understand. Come to think of it, it was strange that everyone here essentially spoke Alethi -- it had never occurred to him to question this up until now. 

 

While he was observing the other things happening in the Gathering Hall, Adolin felt himself being pushed from behind. If it weren't for his shardplate he would have lost his balance and fell onto one of the other two young men, but he caught himself on time. Sureblood! What a spoiled baby. The rhyshadium wanted to make sure he wasn't being ignored and flicked his ears impatiently. Adolin felt that the animal was getting annoyed -- not surprising given the amount of people it had to push through to meet him. Seemed like as good a time as ever to get ready. He grabbed the reins.

 

"It means that we'll have to beat him to the hunt," Adolin replied to Karen's remark about the Rathalos -- one of the the only things he remembered hearing -- being on their list of 'all of them'. "Neither of you look too heavy, so someone can mount with me. " 

 

He prepared to lead his horse and his party out, but suddenly remembered he didn't even know the name of the hunting area, nevermind where it was. Deciding not to turn around and ask, he continued on out of the Gathering Hall.

Edited February 2, 2020 by TehUltimateMage

[TehUltimateMage]

 

 

 

The Ancestral Steppe, Starting Area

[weather: overcast]

 

Outside the gates of Val Habar and a short carriage ride to the north is a mountainous region known as the Ancestral Steppe. True to its name, the sedimentary cliffs and long plateaus of the hunting grounds look as if they were here since the dawn of time, and worn out ruins can sometimes be identified among the more hidden places. Lush, green vegetation grows under the protection of rocks and vines grow over their rough surfaces wherever it can take hold. The area is very vast. The flat plains have little soil only host desert grasses where herbivores like Aptonoth graze, while the valleys and crevices allowed taller trees to flourish over hundreds of years. The sun occasionally peeks through the cloud cover above, casting an even light over the landscape. 

 

The cavarans stop in an area shaded by large trees. Here, a few tentlike structures stood, featuring boxes containing hunter's supplies as well as places to temporarily rest and refresh oneself before returning to the hunt. Catlike creatures were busy making preparations, dashing back and forth on their hind legs. Having finally arrived, it seems like you have the freedom to explore now.

Edited February 2, 2020 by TehUltimateMage

[hikarinomemori]

 

Towa Akagi, Princess of the Hope Kingdom
<Status: Stable>
<Form: Civilian>
<Location: Ancestral Steps - Main Camp>
<People: Add | Hikaru | Nugget>

 

~~

 

Oh, a camp. How quaint. Towa smiled as she took in the sights, noting all of the strange cat-like creatures around the area.

 

"I knew XDRE wasn’t the most prestigious organization in the multiverse, but I had thought they’d have established larger bases across the dimensions."

 

"I honestly wouldn't know. I'm fairly new to XDRE myself..." Towa admitted. One of the cat creatures, she noticed, had approached and grown curious, introducing herself after Add noticed her presence. Nugget, she called herself... strange name, but Towa wasn't going to judge.

 

She wasn't quite sure what to say, so she kept silent. This "multiverse" thing is going to take some getting used to...

[Eto]

 

v.

the magician

 

Vaccaria accepts Karen's explanation of his world, nodding along as the Witch contemplates the new information he has lived. A world with permadeath, and no chance to reroll stat ability? It seemed the other man's homeworld was cruel indeed.

 

"Thank you," he responds, surprised at the abrupt compliment. Vaccaria raises a hand, feeling for the make of the accessory attached to his eye -- truthfully, he'd almost forgotten it was there. "This is a necessary item for my personal self-confidence," he tells Karen, blinking, without any real emotion. "It applies aesthetic qualities others find attractive in leadership while hiding my disfigurement. And it raises ATK by 2." Satisfied, he moves on. 

 

"So then," Vaccaria says, accepting the flask and returning it to the hidden location within his cape, "are you simply forced to go with the stats you are assigned upon conception? That seems rather cruel, if you're born with lower INT than others. Slower mana regeneration and longer equip times." At this point, he realises he is moreso talking to himself and musing upon the hypothetical situation, than contributing anything important, so Vaccaria shakes himself and brings himself back to the present, and nearly swoons when he realises Adolin has taken the lead and is now heading outwards.

 

Fantastic -- usually tanks were slow to follow any command, even one that was necessary for them. To have a tank that also knew how to coordinate and move forwards -- Vaccaria eagerly anticipates the outcome of this hunt, feeling suddenly that the team he has chosen may perhaps be more beneficial than he had initially thought.

 

Once outside, Vaccaria draws Stardust Extermination from within his cloak, setting the broomstick before him as it floats in the air, waiting for a command. Curiously, he stares at Adolin -- the other man looks domineering atop his steed, but he wonders how well one would be able to tank on top of an animal. Mounts -- at least, in Glory -- were mostly for aesthetic purposes.

 

"I will be midair for the ensuring mission," Vaccaria announces, and without waiting he hops onto the broomstick, the weapon holding his weight as it rises into the air. Vaccaria holds onto the brim of his hat, tipping it in the direction of Karen and Adolin. "Lead the way," he says, opening the gate for either of them to take command.

 

--

 

 

bright light

 

"Yes I can!" Hikaru chirps eagerly, positively brimming with excitement at how easily the man before him seemed to pick up on his details, ears twitching as his superb hearing picked up on the boy's every word. Wow! Could yokai be well-known in this world, too?

"I can also turn big and eat people," Hikaru establishes, proudly, from across the room. Before he can say anything more, however, he feels Add pat him on the head, and Hikaru lets out a soft purr, firmly plunking himself down and settling into the comfort of the white-haired man's fingers running across his locks, shifting his hair aside and curling into the corners around his ears to which Hikaru was particularly sensitive. 

 

He looks up, eyes full of adoration as he considers the incline of Add's face, the little furrow between his brow that showed he was clearly thinking of something. The Elgang? Elsword, perhaps? Or the mission to come? Add thought of so many things in a full day, and his mind was so full of thoughts and considerations that sometimes Hikaru wished he wouldn't tire himself out so much with the could-happens and if-nots, and just settle into the comfortable action of the moment.

 

But he doesn't voice it, instead nodding along at the prompt to move. The mission was starting already! He would have plenty of time, later, when opponents were vanquished and all naysayers eaten, to tell Add of everything that he thought about -- Hikaru was smart, and only wasted his careful energy for thoughts on Add and nothing else. As far as Hikaru is concerned, he has the rest of the universe's existence to tell Add how he feels. He adores Add! The way the other man's arm feels secure around his waist, Hikaru blinking happily and moving along as Add wants towards the camp they had been directed towards, how carefully Add can take command, how nice Add is to everyone -- after all, who would think so carefully about their friends that Add would also see the similarity between the man with the large hat and Ain? It was truly a sign that Add thought about the members of the Elgang -- their friends -- always, and Hikaru feels ridiculously happy, almost as if his heart would burst out of his chest, to be here in this very second, walking alongside --

 

Food! Hikaru lunges for the cat as soon as he snaps out of his thoughts and locks eyes onto the cat in Add's grasp, breaking from the other man's hold quite easily as he pounces forwards, transforming halfway as he does so. A tiny fox, tails waving, lands on the cat's chest and immediately bounces back, catching his footing. Hikaru stares at the cat, and then opens his mouth and begins to scream. 

[Kiran]

Karen and Nidrak

Allies (?): Vaccaria, Adolin, others

Location: Monster Hunter Guild Base

Current Morph: Karen

 

“Indeed,” Karen says, nodding at Vaccaria’s question. He’d never thought about it as such a terrible thing, or thought about it much at all, but he supposes that to one that was used to changing his stats it must seem sad. Not that ‘stats’ were even really a thing, but pretending that they were worked well enough. 

 

"It means that we'll have to beat him to the hunt. Neither of you look too heavy, so someone can mount with me. " 

“I can-” morph is what he means to say, but Nidrak takes control of his mouth, barely missing a beat. “-mount with you,” xe finishes. 

Karen scowls internally, but there’s not much that he can do and Nidrak knows it. The meddling slug sits on his brain, waves of smugness rolling off of xem. What a terrible roommate. 

I’m just being helpful! Besides, you don’t need to scout. Vaccaria’s in the air, so he can watch for things. 

Deciding that that wasn’t worth responding to, Karen approaches Sureblood at a slight diagonal angle to remain out of his blind spot. He’d been a horse before, and Cassie had told him how to approach horses, so he isn’t too concerned (even if he can remember the predator?-run-fear feeling of being a horse and if Sureblood is very big). He holds out a hand, allowing Sureblood to sniff him. Sureblood takes a few breaths, then flicks an ear and turns his head away in disinterest. Karen takes that as permission. 

He takes Adolin’s offered hand and puts his foot in a stirrup, using it to pull himself up, meeting Adolin’s eyes (if only so that he could say that he’s not a coward) while doing his best to avoid blushing. For a moment he’s unsure of what to do with his arms, but Nidrak is quick to wrap them around Adolin’s waist, leaving Karen’s chest pressed against Adolin’s back. 

He’s definitely blushing now. He regrets everything. 

It doesn’t take them long to reach a camp containing a group of tents, supplies, and small, bipedal cats. Karen looks around as well as he can with Adolin blocking a large portion of his sight. “Do we need to stop for anything, or should we just go?” he asks. None of them know where they’re going, exactly, but is that important? He can already see some large creatures in the distance. Are they dinosaurs? They look like… Ducky. The adult Duckies. 

They’re not called Duckies. That’s from a children’s show. 

What’re they called then, o’ Wise One? 

 

Nidrak is silent. Good. 
 

[Mikasa361]

[E - Ancestral Steppe]

 

She'd been quietly following the group the whole way here. Everyone seems to be in their own little cliques, talking among themselves, while Evonna has nobody to talk to. Not even Eren, whose horse she shared, seems to be interested in starting conversation right now. She knows damn well she's too shy to say anything right now. 

 

Even at home, she had Jehan. Or Lavender. Or someone. Is this how it feels to not have someone talking your damn ear off?

 

I hate it. 

 

They make it to the steppe with little issue. Once they do, Eren helps Evonna off the horse and she takes a minute to finally take a good look at the groups of people there are. She notes that the largest group consists of the three older lads- Adolin, Karen, and Va.... Vac..... Vacuum... Vaccaria. There's also fox-boy... Hikaru, she guesses, along with Add, Towa, and a cat named Nugget. Along with a few others, of course. Everyone seems engrossed in their own conversations, Evo0nna feels the anxiety settle in as she tries to decide which one she wants to hover around.

 

Who knew not having someone more confident with her could make her so scared? 

 

She sighs, decides to woman up, and walks closer to Adolin's clique. Her nails dig into her palms and her heartbeat accelerates- this isn't a cute girl, nor is it someone who knows someone that she does. This is three men, all older than she is, if not taller at the very least. It's very intimidating. "Pardon me," she quietly squeezes in when their conversation takes a pause, which takes a minute. "Is.... Is it alright if I tag along with you?"

[TehUltimateMage]

Adolin Kholin, son of Highprince Dalinar Kholin -- Starting Area

[ party up! ] - [ reminds me of home ]

 

"It seems that we can just head off on our own," Adolin answers Karen. "To tell you the truth, it feels refreshing to be left to our own devices."

 

"Pardon me, is.... Is it alright if I tag along with you?"

 

Adolin discreetly looks away when a younger girl approaches their little hunting party. (Well, discreet by his standards -- Renarin would have described it as suddenly lifting his chin and finding a sudden interest in a rock formation four feet to the left of whoever he was supposed to be talking to.) There were so many boys in the XDRS that the issue of safehands really hadn't come up until now. Pascal had both hands covered, and Twilight was a horse! Taking a scandalous peek to confirm that her left hand was uncovered despite her looking of age, he huffs and grins to himself while still conspicuously avoiding eye contact. "Of course! On hunting expeditions, it is typical to have many servants to carry you and your belongings while you bear witness to our exploits. Though our operation today is much smaller, I think we could arrange something."

 

He whistles, a sharp noise that cuts through the screeching in the distance. "You there, mink!" he calls to one of the small furry animals tending to the camp (this one wearing a handsome little gold trimmed waistcoat that is absolutely too stylish for such a tiny creature used for labor) and directs Sureblood to turn and trot towards it. From what he had seen so far, these creatures were used somewhat like parshmen, albeit much more lively. "Fetch this fine young lady a palanquin."

 

The angry boy from before who had made a scene back in Val Habar had trotted over as well. His dark horse looked absolutely diminutive compared to Sureblood, but the fearless boy didn't hesitate to lead it up to Adolin and bar his path. "Bold of you to assume Evonna's not able to take care of herself."

 

"It's only proper to offer a woman the right accomodations," Adolin retorts flatly. It's the first time they spoke directly, and yet this boy was already acting as if he were trying to pick fights over the pettiest things. As a lighteyes of status, Adolin is no stranger to the ire or jealousy of others, but in all honesty... he hates this kid already.

 

"Sorry to interrupt your fight over a cute girl," the little dark-faced mink speaks up from the ground, not sounding sorry at all, then lazily groomed an ear with the back of his paw. "But what's a palanquin? Can you eat it?"

[Mikasa361]

[E - Ancestral Steppe]

 

"I'm sorry, what?" Evonna maintains an incredulous expression as she looks up at the strange haired man. "A palanquin- Are you suggesting I'm weak?" Oh, Evonna does not like that suggestion at all. Especially for her gender. She starts to seethe at that, but she catches herself. Easy, Evonna, remember. He's not from where you're from. His society might be ass-backward. Easy girl, easy, Evonna closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths.  As her face softens, her posture relaxes. "I apologize. I appreciate the thought, but..." She pats the boxing gloves on her right side. "I can take care of myself. Eren here is right." 

 

Then she blinks as she realizes Adolin isn't even looking at her. "Though isn't it rude to not look at who you're talking to?" She places her hands in her pockets and shifts her weight. "Uh-" she backs off a little. "I-if I'm not speaking out of turn, that is. I could be totally out of line right now."

 

With that, she glances over at Eren. "Thanks. I appreciate it, but.... I got it. Please don't get yourself in a huge fight over me, 'kay? I'd feel awful if something went wrong over something so small." She misses having Chikako around already... She'd been kind, made her feel comfortable. Adolin seems to be trying, but where he's from seems rather.... Structured, to say the least. And Eren, oi....

 

Then she turns to face the cat. "Ah, I wouldn't worry about it. It'd be something to carry me, but I don't need one. I'll be okay."

[hikarinomemori]

 

Towa Akagi, Princess of the Hope Kingdom
<Status: Stable>
<Form: Civilian>
<Location: Ancestral Steps - Main Camp>
<People: Add | Hikaru | Nugget>

 

~~

 

All the screaming made Towa want to cover her ears. "...oh, dear me, this has gotten quite out of hand already, hasn't it...?" Maybe I should have stayed at the base a little longer, she thought to herself. She was starting to think maybe Hibiki was better suited for this...

 

"Ugh, Towa, could you take the bounty statement out of my pocket and show it to-- Hikaru stop squirming-- Nugget?"

 

"O-Oh, sure, Add!" Towa reached for the bounty statement and took it in her hand.

 

Nugget then bombarded her with questions upon hearing her name. To be honest, the curiosity displayed by the cat creature reminded her of Haruka - always energetic, that one. She answered the questions as she stooped down to show Nugget the bounty statement in her hand. "Yes, my full name is Towa Akagi, and I am indeed a princess. My friends chose this particular dress for me, though; I'm sure I have some much nicer and, uh... softer dresses back home."

[TehUltimateMage]

Adolin Kholin -- Zone 3 -> Zone 6

[ moving along ] - [ what is that? ] - [ it's like a flying creature]

 

The mink-creature had been keeping up pretty well with the horses, considering how incredibly tiny it was. Adolin didn't want to go too fast in case he accidentally left the others behind or burnt out the poor beast that kid rode. Not only was it carrying both the boy and the girl, but the boy was maneuvering his horse so aggressively, deliberately, to keep in step with the Shardbearer. Sureblood flicked his ears in annoyance, and Adolin responded in a low voice, "I know, I know, you want to leave them behind and run, but we've got to be more considerate." 

 

So far they hadn't encountered any monsters over the plains other than slow herbivores. Their little mink seemed to be alert, but hadn't signaled any points of interest. Adolin ordered it to mention anything related to their little quest sheet of glyphs he couldn't -- wouldn't -- read, and he was beginning to have doubts if Sir Ocelot (the 2nd) was secretly messing with them.

 

He spotted something in the sky, though. Well, he heard it before seeing it: a descending hornlike, stuttering sound that sounded too regular to belong to a giant creature of some sort. It came from some sort of glistening, metallic and winged monster in the sky that looked absolutely nothing like anything he had ever seen in the air before. Too stiff to be a sky-eel, and the sound it made...

 

Curious, Adolin followed the flying object, first with his eyes, then on horseback. Eren tilted his head and followed, less wondering about the flying thing, more focused on not letting the blond-haired man out of his sight.

 

"I think he's trying to see what that is," Eren mentioned to Evonna, "But personally I don't give much of a damn. Stuff doesn't fly in my world."

[Mikasa361]

[Evonna Estelle Durand - In Transit]

 

Evonna doesn't pay attention to Adolin talking to his horse. She can tell they just want to keep moving, but it's not her place to ask Eren to have the horse move faster- especially with the way he's maneuvering his horse around so jarringly. So instead, she rolls her eyes and looks around while holding on tight to Eren. She never, ever gets motion sick. But if Eren were to drive a car? ....Her stomach almost lurches at the idea. 

 

Adolin suddenly starts looking at the sky. Evonna sees nothing weird, but Adolin chooses to follow it anyway. She raises her eyebrow as Eren starts moving to follow him. "I think he's trying to see what that is," Eren says to her, "But personally I don't give much of a damn. Stuff doesn't fly in my world." Evonna rolls her eyes into the back of her head as she looks up into the sky again. 

 

"My guy, that's called an airplane. People use them to travel around in my world. ...You guys don't have flying machines? We have loads of 'em." Then she shrugs. "Though I guess worlds are different. Doesn't look interesting to me, but...." Then she sighs. "Doesn't look like it'll hurt us."

 

[DuskOfTheStars]

 

[Hornet -- Holding Ground]

 

Hornet peered into the distance, sticking close to her "base." Well, less of a base and more of "where she'd been dropped." You would think that coming back from the abyss, you'd at least be summoned by someone else, but the only company around here were odd cats that stood on their hind legs. Apparently they were called "palicos." Well - palicos, and the monsters that tried to eat her. Least palicos were friendly enough.

 

A lot of monsters had attacked her over the past few days. Maybe they smelled meat. Maybe they saw her when they came to drink at the water nearby. Hornet didn't really care; what she cared about was knowing when they were coming so she could send planes after them.

 

Standing near her fire, holding a partially-cleaned bone with some cooked meat on it, she looked into the sky. She'd sent a fighter that way, scouting for more attackers. Focusing, she called out across her radio.

 

<VF-8, report.>

 

 

Static answered her at first. It slowly coalesced into words and images. She saw three humans, all on a pair of four-legged creatures with long snouts, wispy tails, and hair along the backs of their necks. Vaguely, she remembered hearing the officers talk about riding "horses." Horses. She had no better name for the creatures, so she simply called them what she remembered hearing riding-animals called.

 

That was weird, though. People approaching her? She hadn't seen anything but monsters and palicos. And she had no idea what the hell they were thinking - especially because, to hear her fighter's descriptions, they seemed to be wearing clothes she wasn't familiar with. She raised her hand, summoning a Dauntless dive bomber to sit at rest on her rigging, and waited to communicate with her fighter again.

[hikarinomemori]

 

Towa Akagi, Princess of the Hope Kingdom
<Status: Stable>
<Form: Civilian>
<Location: Ancestral Steps - Main Camp>
<People: Nagito | Nugget>

 

~~

 

Towa looked around after speaking with Nugget about the creature they were hunting, to find that her companions must have left without her. To each their own, she thought, but I wish they'd at least told me first.

 

She soon saw someone with white hair and pale skin, speaking with Nugget. To think he was homeless, and had spent all of the money he'd been given on soap instead of basic necessities... but, once more, she wasn't one to judge.

 

She was only snapped out of her thoughts when he addressed her directly. "Oh, not at all! In fact, I prefer those who are forward with their intentions. And yes, I do like to help people, in any way I can. I know people have dreams for the future, after all, and every dream safeguarded and realized is one step closer to a better world, yes?"

 

She then curtsied politely. "I am Princess Towa Akagi of the Hope Kingdom... and you might be...?"